Terminology

Record: a specific piece of recorded information
generated, collected, or received in the initiation,
conduct, or completion of an activity, and that comprises
sufficient content, context, and structure to provide proof
or evidence of that activity. At SLAC, a record is broadly
defined as documentary material, in any media, that is
created or received in the normal course of laboratory
business, is worth preserving, either temporarily or
permanently, because it provides evidence of the
organization's policies, procedures, activities, and
decisions and has technical, administrative, historical,
and/or legal value. SLAC records cannot be destroyed unless
they are covered by a records schedule which indicates the
authorized point at which they can be legally destroyed.
Please see the list of
archival material that is of interest to the SLAC
Archives and History Office.

Non-records: Nonrecords are copies of documents
maintained in more than one location or materials available
from public sources, which can be disposed of at the
discretion of the user. Please see the list of
non-archival material compiled by the SLAC Archives and
History Office.

Personal and professional papers: Personal and
professional papers are documentary materials (in any media)
of a private or nonpublic nature that do not relate to or
have an effect upon the conduct of SLAC business. A good
source for information on this topic is the AIP webpage
about
scientific source materials.

Accession: a group of records or archives from the
same source taken into the Archives at the same time.

Records series: Record series are units of files
or documents arranged according to a filing system or kept
together because they:

Relate to a particular subject or function

Result from the same activity

Document a specific kind of transaction

Take a particular physical form

Or have some other relationship arising out of their
creation, receipt, or use (such as restrictions on
access or use

Records schedule: Records schedules are lists of
records by name or type that authorize their disposition.
The SLAC Archives and History office uses a number of
schedules.

Cubic foot: a standard holdings measure. Records
occupying a space 12"x12"x12". A standard archives carton is
actually not cubic foot but is said to be a "cubic foot."

Sources

Conseil international des archives - International
Council on Archives. Guide For Managing Electronic
Records From An Archival Perspective. Committee on
Electronic Records, February 1997. (ICA Studies/Études
CIA 8)
Section 2.1